I learned to surf before I knew how to swim. My parents would strap a life vest on me, and my father would push me into waves.

As someone who’s been involved in standup paddling since the early years, I’ve watched the sport grow in ways I’d never imagined. Except in the way that means the most to me.

“Hey, if you think we should pull the plug, I’m not going to argue.” I had, after all, already experienced a few hell-crossings in my time.

One of the best ways to improve fitness.

When you’re working it out, do it right.

Most people don’t realize they have incredible SUP river resources right down the street- most towns and cities have rivers in the Class I-II range running right through them. Discovering moving water and how to paddle down it safely doesn’t have to be a big mystery.

Standup paddling is such a new sport that we’re all beginners, really.

I’ve always loved the water from the time I could walk. My dad has been surfing 40 years, so we started in the waves at 6 years old on boogie boards, and then after a couple of years we were doing everything.

My friends and I were getting into kiteboarding when John Denney, owner of Jupiter Paddleboarding, donated a few of the early Sean Ordenez boards to our school’s kite club.

I made my own 7-foot paddle from cedar and oak and used it to propel myself, standing in my canoe, for a 30-mile trip in Missouri’s Ozarks with a cooler of beer and a tent. All the boaters looked at me like I was crazy.